The invention is directed to a process for the continuous separation of discarded hygiene articles into their components, namely flocculent and/or cut absorbent material on the one hand and sheet coverings on the other.
In the production of hygiene articles for one time use, the so-called discardable or single use hygiene, articles such as diapers, sanitary napkins, sick bed linings or the like there always occur a certain proportion of defective goods. This so-called scrap as a rule is unmarketable and increases the cost of production since it results in the lost of ultimately valuable raw material.
In view of the overall scarcity and above all, increase in expense of raw materials it is of considerable importance to recover scrap material. This is also true for hygiene articles of the type mentioned whose absorbent material for the most part consists of flocculent cellulose and whose covering or coverings for the most part consist of (synthetic resin) film and fleeces. For a reworking these must with the finished hygiene article, including the scrap goods, next be separated to a unit of combined components.
There has already been proposed by the applicant a process and an apparatus for this purpose, see German OS No. 27 03 063. The process consists of conveying the hygiene article discontinuously into the entrance area with carriers rotating at high peripheral speed, whereby the covering synthetic resin films are torn off and unwound and enclosed cellulose set free and drawn off with suction and subsequently the synthetic resin films are dissolved with cutting up of the carriers and are separately drawn off with suction.
Accordingly, to the known process, however, it is only possible to work discontinuously which does not permit the throughput of large amounts per unit of time. Furthermore, the sheet coverings must be further cut up before they again can be free and can be removed. Naturally this means a proportionately high mechanical expense.
This is the starting point for the invention. It is based on the problem of developing a process which permits the continuous separation of discarded hygiene articles into their components, namely flocculent and/or cut absorbent materials on the one hand and sheet coverings on the other. Thereby the process should permit a high throughput without too great a mechanical expense.